Harry Reid is planning to announce at a democratic caucus TODAY that he is going to drop the talking filibuster measure from the package of reforms the caucus will push in January because of push back from Nelson, Baucus, Carper and a few others. Nelson and Bachus because they need to fund-raise and don’t want to be stuck in DC for three days at a stretch. Carper…? who knows why he objects to the talking. Maybe because Nelson and Baucus did? It’s a theory.

Anyway, a call to Carper’s office today asking him to keep the requirement for the talking filibuster in the reform package might do some good.

Comments (11)

The filibuster is like oxygen to Carper. Without the filibuster Carper is nothing, since he would lose his power to move bills to the right in committee by threatening to withhold his vote. Which is likely the source of his fundraising capability.

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the Talking Filibuster to actually force Senators to physically filibuster instead of just idle threatening? I was under the impression that the Ds were behind this proposed change. WTH Carper?

As a progressive and life long Dem it’s hard not to get the feeling that Carper is not on our side, he’s a total bankster and a thinly disguised DINO. Trouble is in Delaware we don’t get rid of problem politicians, and they know it. Carper’s 6 year term let’s him get away with pretty much whatever he likes. Sure, we’ll contact his office who will politely write us back about “the senators concerns”, but in the end he’ll do as he damn pleases.

I just called Carper’s DC office to ask about this and asked if his objection was because he was too sick to stand up and talk. They assured me that he was well but he still didn’t want to waste copious amounts of energy trying to get his way(snark)

“Yeah, there was a 2012 primary challenger, and a third party challenger, too. DL decided to sit it out.”

The primary challenger was to Carper’s right, and about as qualified for the job as a Tea Party foot soldier. I would sooner vote for Kevin Wade — oh, wait, no I wouldn’t.

DL did not “sit out” the general election, but what was there to say? Alex Pires decided to burn a big pile of money in eye- and ear-catching ways, which used up all the oxygen in the media. The Green candidate got 3,191 votes, including mine, which was cast in the same spirit as the candidacy — as a loogie in the eye to Tom Carper and, more importantly, his Democratic Party backers/enablers.

Should anyone care, I voted straight Green in the same spirit, which left me room to vote for Matt Denn. You Greens should look harder at the lieutenant-governorship as a platform. Sher Valenzuela showed that with a little money, energy and a simple message, a total unknown can campaign for the job independently of the major parties (she all but bolted the GOP by linking herself to Pires). A Green, especially one with a finance background, could sell him/herself as the most effective check on unchallenged power in a one-party state.

For that matter, the same opportunity exists in 2014 with the auditor’s race, so a candidate could run on that platform for auditor in ’14, then, having established some name/platform recognition, repeat the effort for lieutenant governor in ’16.

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